Kampala as our canvas

Kampala woke up differently on September 21. Instead of the usual rush to beat traffic, or the boda bodas weaving through taxis, the streets filled with groups of photographers.

Cameras swinging from their necks, their eyes scanned the corners, searching for beauty in the ordinary. For a few hours, Kampala itself became our canvas. The photo walk was hosted by Badru Katumba, a photojournalist and street lover who calls the street his studio.

“The street is like therapy to me. I always want to share how I see things whenever I get the chance,” he said.

For many, like Barbra Leni, also a photojournalist, it was a chance to learn and to face fears.

“I came today to get more tips on street photography and to overcome my fear of people on the street. Sometimes someone can even slap you for taking their picture,” she said with a laugh, camera in hand.

Our meeting point was the National theatre at 10:30am. We all gathered there as Katumba and his partners Unpublished Africa, Muwado, Global Shapers Community, and Kampala Hub briefed us and mapped out the routes.

And I kid you not, I went over and beyond my steps target for the day. We wandered downtown, where Kampala’s heartbeat is loudest. The taxi park roared with life – conductors shouting out destinations, engines coughing in protest, vendors slipping through crowds with trays of merchandise.

Shops and stalls stayed open, like downtown does not know Sunday. It was the kind of chaos that makes Kampala, Kampala. Yet through our lenses, it was a mosaic of faces, movements, and colors that told the story of a city that never sits still.

But then you know Kampala rain does not ask for permission one moment the light was sharp and golden, the next heavy drops were bouncing off taxi roofs and splashing into puddles. We dashed to verandas, shielding our cameras like newborns.

Still a few brave ones stayed outside, capturing reflections in the water and the way raindrops softened the city’s usual harshness. In between the chaos, the noise and the storm, we took pictures that felt like little pieces of truth. At the end of the day, the photo walk was such a fulfilling experience; a reminder of the city’s pulse and beauty tucked into everyday chaos.

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